Chapter 3: Dead in the Water
The diner wasn't very crowded which suited the hunters. Dean scribbled out words on the newspapers in front of him. He was scooping out potential hunts, hoping to find one quickly.
Sam had gone to pay for their room which was attached to the diner they were eating breakfast in, so it was just him and Riley.
Said blond was on the stool next to him, trying to hide her yawns and finish off her buttered toast. She hadn't slept well and neither had Sam, both of them had been up long before he had.
She yawned again, tossing her still damp hair over her shoulder and the scent of strawberries hit his nose. His mind went blank for a moment, thoughts of a hunt disappearing for a moment. He had found himself watching her, really looking at her like he was looking at a new person.
He had taken notice of things that he hadn't really cared about before. For instance, she had the bluest eyes he had ever seen, she had the tendency to hum and/or sing random songs at the most unusual times (Something he found quirky, but not annoying), the way she smelled like strawberries with hints of vanilla, and a great many other things that he was still finding out. Dean frowned to himself, tapping at his lower lip with the ink pen. There he went again, thinking about her. He seriously needed to stop, it was freaking him out. He shouldn't be thinking of her that way. She was like a sister to him and Sam. And that reminded him of their last hunt together when they had pretended to be a couple. Sam had been with Bobby helping him research for another hunt while the teenager had gotten over his bad cold. The last time he had ever felt so strongly about her as he did now.
It had been five years ago, she had been fifteen and he had been twenty-one. He still remembered how she had felt in his arms, how her mouth had molded to his perfectly... The hunt had been a incubus that had been hunting potential kills in a nightclub. Looking for young couples. So they had pretended while John sat at the bar and waited for the creature.
Dean had danced with Riley, trying to keep it PG. But the corseted top and her hip hugging pants were not helping matters.
"Seriously, this is not going to attract that thing." She had hissed at him. "You're going to have to touch me." Pink tinged her cheeks at her own words.
Rolling his eyes, Dean had grabbed her hips, tugging her against him, their stomachs touching. "Like that?" He asked, challenging her.
She met his gaze, cheeks flushed. "Yeah." She said breathlessly, swaying to the music. She turned and ground her ass against him and he took her arms.
"Damn it, stop it." He snapped lowly, irritated and very aroused. "Do you even know what you're doing?" He was positive she had no idea what she was doing. What she was doing to him as she pressed her body right against him in a way she shouldn't. She whipped around to face him, glaring at his insinuation that she was that naïve.
"I'm getting that guy's attention." She snapped back and inclined her head. Dean did a brief glance. It was the incubus they were after. He was watching them. Or her rather. "So stop being a stiff and dance with me." She tossed her arms around his neck and brought his head closer to hers. "I know how to dance. This isn't my first time in a club. Put your hands on my waist." He ran his hands down her bare skin, shuddering at how warm she felt.
He had noticed how attractive she was. It wasn't hard to miss. She had changed dramatically in the last year, but Riley is a sister and he shouldn't be having these perverted thoughts. She was fifteen! But something had changed over a month ago. Turned out she was a badass werewolf hunter in a cheerleading costume. It had been an eyeopener for him and a nightly wet dream fantasy.
Then she nuzzled his chin and his heart stopped. Her nose glided across his skin again and he trembled with lust.
"Fuck it." He whispered and pushed her hips into his, grinding against her. He knew she had to have felt him hard against her, but it seemed to encourage her. Suddenly, he didn't care about their age difference or that she was like a sister or a cousin. He wanted to taste her. His little miniskirt wearing werewolf hunter. He backed her into a wall, mouth fusing to hers and swallowing her gasp.
Sparks of electricity went through his spine as their lips met and he held her closer. Her hands trailed up and down his back and then tugged at his shirt, sliding underneath to feel his hot skin, making him groan. He squeezed her ass and she moaned softly against his neck.
He wanted to feel more of the electric jolts, so he took her mouth again, growling as he grabbed her thigh and hoisted it up against his hip. She whimpered slightly at the feel of him and he kissed down her neck to soothe and encourage her.
Dean's hands traveled to run along her sides and started back down again, making her shiver with want.
"Dean..." She whispered. "We-we shouldn't..."
He shook his head. "It's okay..." He spoke softly and he kissed her again.
Riley bit her lip. "I don't know about this. Maybe you're taking it too far. It's the incubus..."
"You don't like it?"
She opened and closed her mouth, before shutting her eyes. "That's not funny...Please just stop."
"Look at me."
She did and he cupped her face tenderly. "Don't you feel it? The spark between us? This is me talking, Riley. The incubus isn't near us."
"Yes." She let him, wrap his arms around her again. "I love you. I always have."
He kissed her again and she melted. She couldn't believe it. He finally loved her more than a sister. He saw her and not some other girl. She was happy and so quickly forgot the reason they were there.
A hand landed on Dean's shoulder. "Hello there." A voice said smoothly and Dean turned to look at who was touching him. Riley panted against the wall, lipstick smeared slightly. "My name is Andreas. And who are you so passionate?"
"Dean, and this is Riley." He said automatically, liking this smooth speaking guy.
"Lovely." Andreas, took Riley's hand and kissed the back of it, making her moan breathlessly. "A pleasure. Would the two of you join me for a drink? I have a private room here."
"Sure." Dean said and Riley nodded, stroking his arm.
Andreas offered his arm to Riley. "Lovely girl." She put her arm through his and Dean felt a sense of clarity all of the sudden. He met his father's gaze and the man nodded once, understanding and Dean turned disappearing to the private room.
"Can I get you anything else?" A voice asked and Dean looked up, pen still in his mouth from the deep contemplation, and focused on the blond standing at the table. Wendy the waitress was half leaning towards him, her assets about to burst from her tight pink tank top. Dean felt the small grin on his face widen as she flaunted herself at him. It was a nice distraction from memory lane.
At that time, Sam got back and sat next to Riley who was trying not to doze off.
He glanced at the waitress. "Just the check please." He toned with a sigh.
"Okay." She nodded before walking away and Dean rolled his eyes at his brother.
"You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once and a while." He gestured slightly at the waitress who was sashaying away from them and back into the diner's kitchen. "That is fun."
Riley snorted, but didn't respond.
Noting that his brother seemed to be in a grumpy mood, Dean handed him the newspaper instead, where he had marked the story that interested him.
"Here. Take a look at this. I think I got one." Sam took the paper and held it up to read it. "Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week, Sophie Carlton, eighteen, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out." Dean read from memory and Sam glanced at him. "Authorities dragged the water." He continued. "Nothing. Sophie Carlton was the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had Sophie's funeral two days ago."
"A funeral?" Sam asked in confusion.
"Yeah. It's weird, they buried an empty coffin." Dean agreed and then shrugged.
"Closure." Riley murmured.
"Closure?" Sam scoffed. "What closure? People don't just disappear, Riley. Other people just stop looking for 'em." He said angrily and though it wasn't directed at her, she still frowned. Dean wasn't sure he liked what Sam was driving at and set his paper back down with a slap.
"Something you want to say to me?"
"Trail for Dad." Sam sighed. "It's getting colder every day."
"Exactly. So what are we supposed to do?"
"I don't know. Something. Anything." Sam sounded desperate and Dean felt as something snapped within him. Did he think I wasn't looking? That I wasn't frustrated too?
"You know what? I'm sick of this attitude." He stated angrily. "I want to find Dad just as much as you do."
"Yeah, I know you do-"
"I've been with him every single day for the past two years. While you've been at college, going to pep rallies. We will find Dad. But until then, we're going to kill everything bad between here and there." Dean said sternly. "And no amount of attitude is going to change my mind. Okay?" They stared at one another feathers ruffled like a pair of roosters, but finally Sam backed down. Dean's eyes wandered back to Wendy when she walked by and Sam rolled his eyes watching how his brother practically ogled the girl's ass.
Riley smacked his arm. "Hey!" He looked over at her.
"What?"
She rolled her eyes. "So Lake Manitoc? How far?""
"Few miles." Dean murmured. "Let's go."
"I'm worried about him, Dean." Riley murmured and he glanced at her. Sam was checking them out of the motel as they waited inside the car. "He's restless and super angry."
"I know." He muttered with a sigh.
"But I know how he feels." She continued with a small frown. He turned his head to look at her. "I guess I pushed at my dad, the way Sam's pushing at you." She shook her head sadly. "I didn't really realize it, until I saw and heard him." She stifled a yawn, gazing back out the window thoughtfully. Dean tilted his head.
"You have another nightmare?"
"Yeah." She muttered. "Between Sam kicking the shit out of me in the middle of the night to my own nightmares..." Dean frowned.
"Sam should've bunked with me."
She shook her head and turned to look at him. "Dean, you and I both know you needed the uninterrupted sleep. We've been driving for days. Besides...I punched Sam in the arm for kicking me so we're even."
He snorted, a smirk on his face and she laughed.
"But seriously, next hotel, either you or Sam bunk with me. I don't want to wake to a wrestling match."
Riley smirked back. "Deal." She turned away, feeling butterflies in her stomach, thinking about bunking with Dean. Or wrestling with Dean... She mentally slapped herself and shook her head. She should not be having those thoughts. He didn't see her that way and never had. It was all in her head as usual.
They found themselves pulling up to a nice cabin near the lake.
"It's too bad, I can't swim." Riley commented as they stepped out of the car. "It's a pretty lake."
Dean snorted and Sam shook his head.
"Well it is." She muttered and the boys rolled their eyes.
They went up to the door and Riley knocked first.
The door swung open and a young man stared out at them.
"Will Carlton?" Dean asked, taking the lead as usual.
The man nodded.
"Yeah, that's right."
"I'm Agent Ford. This is Agent Hamill." He nodded at Sam. "And Agent Fisher." Riley raised a hand at the young guy when he glanced in her direction. "We're with the US Wildlife Service." The trio held up their badges. Will nodded with a sigh.
"This way."
Will lead the way to the dock and taking them down along a path through the trees. Riley could see an older man sitting out on a bench near the edge of the dock. His posture told her, he was upset, and she bit her lip.
"She was about a hundred yards out." Will spoke up and Riley came out of her thoughts. "That's where she got dragged down."
"And you're sure she didn't just drown?"
He gave Dean an even look, checking to see if he was mocking him, before glancing back at the water. "Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer. She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as in her own bathtub."
Riley frowned. "So, no splashing? No signs of distress?
"No, that's what I'm telling you." He murmured.
"Did you see any shadows in the water?" Sam questioned. "Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?" Riley couldn't help but shudder at the thought of something lurking in the dark water. It was bad enough she couldn't swim, but to think about being dragged under by something...
"No. Again, she was really far out there."
"You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?" Dean asked him next.
Will frowned in thought. "No, never. Why? Why, what do you think's out there?" He got a bit eager to hear something, desperate to find a cause for his sister's death. Riley supposed it would be easier to blame a monster than something unexplainable.
Dean caught her gaze, sensing the same, before looking back at Will. "We'll let you know as soon as we do." Carlton nodded at them and the boys started back to the car. Her eyes were on the man on the dock. Although she didn't want to step out onto the dock, she felt bad for the man who had lost his daughter.
"What about your father?" She asked softly and the brothers turned around. "May we talk to him?"
Will looked over his shoulder at his father who was sitting on the deck so quiet and lonely looking.
"Look, if you don't mind, I mean...he didn't see anything and he's kind of been through a lot."
Riley smiled sadly. "Of course. We understand." She put a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."
He smiled at her. "Thank you."
She jogged to catch up to the boys.
"What do you think happened?"
Sam shook his head. "I don't know."
"Sounds fishy to me." Dean smirked and Riley slapped his head. "It was funny!"
The younger Winchester rolled his eyes. "Knock it off, guys."
At the police station, Riley got the distinct impression that the sheriff didn't like them at all. Jake Devins was an older man with light brown hair and the disposition of a man who didn't want to deal with outsiders. Whether they be real life "Wildlife Service" or not.
Said man was frowning at them as he walked into his office. "Now, I'm sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?"
"You sure it's accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister." Sam questioned and the man snorted.
"Like what? Here, sit, please." Jake gestured for them to sit in the chairs in front of his desk. Sam opted to stand behind Riley's chair, letting her and Dean take the seats. "There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake. There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness Monster."
Dean laughed. "Yeah. Right." Riley made eye contact with him and he rolled his eyes at her. She stifled a laugh.
The Sheriff didn't see the exchange as he sat down heavily behind his desk.
"Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still—" He frowned. "We dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep, just to be sure, and there was nothing down there."
"That's weird, though, I mean, that's, that's the third missing body this year."
Jake sighed. "I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about." He emphasized.
Riley nodded her head. "We understand."
"Anyway..." He sighed again. "All this...it won't be a problem much longer."
"What do you mean?"
Jake frowned. "Well, the dam, of course."
Riley could see Dean was floundering for an answer so she cleared her throat.
"He means the dam is falling apart. The federal government won't grant money for repairs. So, we were forced to open up the spillway." She spoke up, very grateful for the digging she had done on the way up the lake house. The tension left the room immediately at her words as the Sheriff's suspicious expression faded. "In six or so months, there won't be a lake." Dean's hand landed on her knee and squeezed lightly, making heat warm her cheeks at the feeling of his skin on hers. Thankfully, it was over as quickly as it had happened.
"Or a town either." Jake added, nodding at her.
Knock, knock.
They all looked towards the door as it opened, a young woman with long dark hair entered the room.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?"
The sheriff and Dean stood immediately and Riley remained sitting.
The woman looked at them curiously. "I can come back later."
"Gentlemen, this is my daughter." Jake introduced.
Dean smiled widely and stepped forward. Riley rolled her eyes.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dean." He offered his hand to her and she shook it.
"Andrea Barr. Hi." She smiled back.
"Hi."
Riley exchanged looks with Sam who was rolling his eyes too. Everywhere? She mouthed to him and he coughed into his sleeve to hide a laugh. Dean sent them a dirty look.
Jake nodded at the trio. "They're from the Wildlife Service. About the lake."
Andrea's face fell slightly at the mention of the lake. "Oh."
A little boy around the age of seven or eight appeared behind his mother and Riley smiled at him.
"Oh, hey there." Dean greeted the kid. "What's your name?" He asked him and he looked at them a moment before turning and walking back out of the room. Andrea gave them an apologetic look and followed him.
Riley turned to the Sheriff.
"His name is Lucas."
"May I ask something? Can he...speak? At all?"
Jake sighed. "My grandson's been through a lot. We all have."
Riley nodded. "I understand completely. I'm sorry." She understood that quite a bit. When she had first met John and Bobby she hadn't spoken hardly at all at first, just using gestures.
"That's all right, ma'am." He smiled at her grimly. "He's just had a hard time." He went over to his office door, a sign they needed to go. "Well, if there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know."
They exited the office and found Andrea and Lucas settled at a little table. Lucas was coloring a picture, content in his own little world.
Dean nodded at him. "Thanks. You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?"
Andrea looked up from Lucas. "Lakefront Motel. Go around the corner. It's about two blocks south."
"Two—would you mind showing us?" He flirted and she laughed. Sam and Riley sent each other looks again.
"You want me to walk you two blocks?" She asked skeptically, still giggling.
Dean gave her an "innocent" look. "Not if it's any trouble."
She shook her head. "I'm headed that way anyway." She turned to her father. "I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three." She informed him and then bent to kiss the top of Lucas' head.
"We'll go to the park, okay, sweetie?" She promised and turned to lead the out the door. Riley waved to Jake who nodded at her and she turned to catch up.
"That was quick thinking." Sam murmured to her as they exited the police department. Riley shrugged.
"I figured if we were pretending to be Wildlife people we better know the area."
He nodded and then sighed. "I'm sorry for this morning. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's fine, Sam. I know that feeling. When I lost..." She faltered, unable to utter a name. She shook her head. "I just get it." Sam gave her a one-armed hug and they looked up at Dean who was chatting away to Andrea. "It's hard for me to even say his name. I've avoided it for so long..." She turned to him. "I'm going to tell the whole story to you guys, I promise. It's just hard to relive it."
"It's not a big deal, Riley. Dean and I are here for you. Or at least I am." Sam murmured and she smiled.
"Thanks, Sammy."
"Kids are the best, huh?" They heard Dean say as they got closer and Riley snorted. Sam rolled his eyes.
Andrea gave Dean a look and then came to a halt. Ahead of them was a building and on the sign it read: Lakefront Motel.
"There it is. Like I said, two blocks." She told them.
Sam nodded at her. "Thanks."
She smiled and turned to Dean. "Must be hard, with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line."
Riley burst into laughter as Andrea began walking away, leaving a stunned Dean behind.
"Enjoy your stay!" She called over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.
Sam snickered. "'Kids are the best'?" He mocked. "You don't even like kids."
"I love kids." His brother said defensively.
"Name three children that you even know."
Dean gazed off in thought and Sam smirked at Riley before waving a hand and walking off.
Noticing his brother walking away, Dean scowled. "I'm thinking!" Riley was still laughing. Turning his head, he glared at her. "Shut up, Blondie!"
Riley huffed at the table across from Sam and he looked up from his laptop. The girl was eyeing his big brother who was digging though their clothes bags and stopping every now and then to inhale of the item in his hands.
"Stop that!" She demanded and hopped up from the table to go over to him. Dean blinked as she took the item out of his hands. "Just give me the damn bag of clothes. They're probably all dirty anyway."
"I can give them the sniff test." Dean protested, snatching the shirt back from her and holding it to his nose. He coughed a bit and Sam rolled his eyes.
Riley grimaced in disgust. "Exactly why you should just hand them all over and I'll wash them." She took the shirt from him once more and shoved it into a bag before throwing the bag to him. "Fill that."
"Women." The elder Winchester said under his breath and Sam shook his head.
"What'd you find, Sam?" Riley asked. She always knew when something was bothering him. She turned to him as did Dean.
"So there's the three drowning victims this year." He turned his laptop towards them, and Dean moved closer.
"Any before that?"
"Uh, yeah." Sam clicked a browser window. It was the local newspaper. Riley tossed the now full bag of dirty clothes by the door and came over to read over Sam's shoulder with Dean.
The headline read: Drowning Taints Ice Fishing Festival. The next one he pulled up was another issue of the newspaper this one reading: 12-Year-Old Girl Drowns in Lake, Second drowning in 6 months at Lake Manitoc.
"Six more spread out over the past thirty-five years." Sam informed them. "Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it's picking up its pace."
Dean frowned thoughtfully. "So, what, we got a lake monster on a binge?"
Sam shook his head. "This whole lake monster theory, it, it just bugs me."
"Well, with like Loch Ness or anything like that there were eyewitnesses." Riley added to his thinking and he nodded at her.
"Exactly and here there is almost nothing. Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it."
He scrolled down to the comments section of the article, hoping to find something when Dean stopped him.
"Wait, Barr, Christopher Barr. Where have I heard that name before?"
Sam spotted the name. "Christopher Barr, the victim in May." He read aloud before clicking on the link to open a new page. Local Man in Tragic Accident.
Riley gasped as a picture loaded onto the screen. There was little Lucas Barr standing next to a police officer. "Oh my god..."
Sam grimaced. "Oh. Christopher Barr was Andrea's husband, Lucas's father. Apparently, he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned. Two hours before the kid got rescued. Maybe we have an eyewitness after all."
"No wonder he's so quiet." Riley murmured.
Dean nodded from next to her. "Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over." He glanced at her and their eyes met in mutual understanding. Dean had seen his mother die and Riley had watched her mother die. It was one of the things they understood about each other.
She sighed. "I think we're going to have to talk to him. I don't like bringing something like that up, but it may be our only shot."
"Didn't she say they were going to the park later?" Sam asked and she nodded.
An hour later, they walked to the park dodging running kids. Riley laughed at Dean's face.
"Hey, I thought you liked kids."
He swatted at her and she dodged him with a smirk. "Smartass."
Sam rolled his eyes and they headed over to where Andrea was sitting. Lucas was at a bench, coloring pictures.
"Can we join you?" He asked her softly and she looked up, glancing towards Dean.
"I'm here with my son."
Dean glanced at Lucas. "Oh. Mind if I say hi?" He wandered over before she could say a word.
Andrea arched an eyebrow. "Tell your friend this whole Jerry Maguire thing is not gonna work on me."
"I don't think that's what this is about." Riley murmured to her.
Sam nudged her. "Go."
"No, Dean can handle it."
He gave her a look and she snorted. "Right. I'll go over." She walked over to see Dean trying to make conversation with Lucas, but the boy wasn't responding. She could tell he was listening though.
"So, crayons is more your thing? That's cool. Chicks dig artists." Dean was saying as she approached. Riley smirked and then knelt next to Dean.
"Chicks can be artists too, Lucas." She stated and Dean rolled his eyes. He shifted through a few of Lucas' drawings.
"Hey, these are pretty good. You mind if Riley and I sit and draw with you for a while?" Dean picked up a crayon. "I'm not so bad myself."
"Mmhm." Riley teased and he glared at her.
She tilted her head at Lucas. "I think you can hear us, you just don't want to talk. I don't know exactly what happened to your dad, but I know it was something really bad. And scary." Dean thought he saw the boy hesitate, but then brushed it off. Lucas kept coloring. "I think I know how you feel. When I was little, I saw something very scary and it was hard for me to talk about. Dean did too when he was your age."
Dean nodded. "Yeah, I did. Anyway. Well, maybe you don't think anyone will listen to you, or, uh...or believe you. I want you to know that I will."
"Me too, Lucas. It's hard to be little and unheard. So, you talk when you want too."
"You don't even have to say anything. You could draw us a picture about what you saw that day, with your dad, on the lake." Lucas made no response and Riley shrugged. "Okay, no problem. This is for you." He held out his drawing to the boy. "This is my family." He pointed to each stick figure and Riley was biting her lower lip to keep from laughing at his drawing. "That's my dad. That's my mom. That's my geek brother, and that's me."
He saw Riley's attempt at holding back laughter and scowled. "All right, so I'm a sucky artist. Let's see what you did."
Riley handed Lucas a picture of Lucas drawing with Dean. Dean was impressed but tried not to show it. Even with just crayons it looked just like them.
"We'll see you around, Lucas." She said quietly and got up from the bench. Dean got up too and they headed back towards Sam and Andrea.
"Lucas hasn't said a word, not even to me. Not since his dad's accident." She was saying to Sam as they approached.
"Yeah, we heard. Sorry." Dean said softly and she nodded.
Sam looked at her. "What are the doctors saying?"
"That it's a kind of post-traumatic stress."
"That can't be easy. For either of you." Riley murmured, glancing back at Lucas.
She sighed. "We moved in with my dad. He helps a lot. It's just...when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw..." She trailed off and Dean smiled at her.
"Kids are strong. You'd be surprised what they can deal with."
Andrea sighed. "You know, he used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth. Now he just sits there. Drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish-" She stopped when Lucas came over to them and she smiled. "Hey sweetie." The boy turned his head in Dean's direction, and he thrust his hand out, a paper in his fingers.
Dean smiled and took the offered paper. "Thanks." He held the drawing up and Riley smiled at the little house he had drawn. "Thanks, Lucas."
Black eyes and a menacing laugh, blood running down the walls and splashing on the ugly carpet, a fiery car explosion, icy cold hands touching her...
"Blondie. Blondie!"
Riley sat straight up in the bed with a sharp gasp. A hand touched her arm and she turned her head to see Dean looking at her in concern. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, bare-chested, and she watched droplets of water run down his chest, her cheeks flushing at his abs and close proximity. He had just gotten of the shower apparently and, she tried not to notice and failed miserably, smelt so good.
"You okay?" He asked, smiling smugly at her. he had noticed her checking him out.
Scowling, she cleared her throat. "Um, yeah." She nodded, running a hand through her hair. "Nightmare."
"I could tell." He said, stifling a yawn and Riley winced, the lust turning into guilt.
"Sorry."
He shook his head.
"Sam was at it before you." He murmured and nodded over at the empty bed. He handed her a coffee from the drink carrier that was sitting on the table. "Went to get the paper." He said to her unasked question.
"Oh."
She sipped at the coffee, smiling softly. "Vanilla."
"You're favorite." Dean nodded.
"You remembered." She laughed and he shrugged.
"Girly coffee. Like Sam."
She laughed again and moved to get out of the bed.
Dean swallowed hard as she stood and stretched, the tank top rising to show her stomach as it stretched across her breasts. He turned his head to finish his coffee, but ended up looking at her again when she bent down to touch her toes. Her pajama shorts hugged her ass tightly and he made himself turn and go sit at the table. It was so hard not to turn and look at her though. He had never lost any of the feelings he had had for her, even when he upset her all those years ago.
"Dean get her out of here." John stated. "You both need to get away from this thing before it puts more feelings into you."
The young man grabbed Riley's wrist and hurried out the door, trying to get away from the incubus' power. They exited the nightclub through the backdoor and into the alley.
It was raining heavily and they were soaked in seconds waiting for John to finish up.
Dean ran a hand along his face, trying to rid his mind of all of strange-lustful feelings he was still getting. It didn't help that Riley was against him, huddling from the cold rain. Angry that he had let it go so far and at her close proximity he shoved her away. The feeling was still there and he realized it hadn't been just the incubus' lustful potion. It both terrified and embarrassed him. What if his father found out? Or Bobby? They'd been so disappointed that he'd taken advantage of Riley, an innocent girl. He shouldn't have kissed her like that. He had to keep away from her.
"What was that for?" She asked, stumbling upright from his hasty push.
"Stay away from me for a bit." He snapped. "We've got to keep our distance. Once Dad kills the thing, the bad feelings go away and we'll be good again."
She frowned. "Bad feelings? It felt good to me."
He closed his eyes. Why did she have to say that?
"Shut up. I shouldn't have done that. You're just a kid."
"I'm almost sixteen." She snapped back and he glared at her in the rain.
"Fine. You're a teenager." He corrected. "But I'm an adult."
"So? I meant what I said in there, Dean." Her lip trembled a bit as emotion covered her voice. "I love you."
He was silent for a moment taking it in. His heart skipped a beat. No one had ever told him that, except his mother of course. But he couldn't let her know that he had feelings for her too, because he shouldn't. She shouldn't feel anything for him. His face hardened.
"No, you don't." He growled at her and internally winced at the hurt look on her face. "You don't know the first thing about love. You're still feeling that monster's spell. Give it time to go away."
"I know what love is, Dean! I know you felt something too!"
"No, you don't, you're just a damn kid. A baby. It shouldn't have happened and it will never happen again. I didn't feel anything but what that monster wanted me to feel."
Riley's eyes filled with angry fire. "I'm not a baby!"
"The case is over. We're not ever doing that again. And if you can't control yourself over this stupid infatuation which is not real-"
John opened the backdoor of the club and came out, wiping his machete clean with a rag. "It's dead." He said and Dean tossed him the keys. "I'm going to bring the car around. Be ready to move." They watched him walk around the corner.
She shoved him hard in the chest and he stumbled back into the brick wall behind him. "You don't get to tell me if my feelings are real or not!" She hissed. Dean glared at her.
"You shouldn't have them. Your feelings are wrong."
"So it's all my feelings? You had none for me?"
"No. That's-No way. It's sick."
"Sick?" She repeated, stepping back and he almost took the words back immediately. Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, I get it. I'm not some trampy bimbo with my breasts hanging out so I'm not good enough. Well, fuck you, Dean!"
"Watch your mouth before Dad hears." He snarled.
"Whatever." She growled back. "Sorry for expressing my made-up feelings because obviously I am nothing to you. Wouldn't want John to hear about my-" She choked up a bit, eyes spilling tears and Dean reached a hand out, feeling guilty. She jerked away from him. "Don't touch me!"
"Riles." He said and sighed. "I shouldn't have touched you like that. It's just confused you."
"I'm not confused. I know what I felt, Dean."
"Yes, you are. Oh, god...I'm sorry. I screwed up."
"No, I get it. I get what you're sorry for. I'm just gullible. Great. So next time someone touches my hand I ought to keep myself from jumping into bed with them? You're an asshole and I hate you."
She stomped off into the rain ignoring him calling her name.
Sam opened the door to the motel and Dean was grateful for the break from his memories. He had never forgiven himself for hurting her like that, for driving a wedge between them. And he doubted she had ever forgiven him either.
"So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie." His brother said, sitting down at the table too.
Riley stepped out of the bathroom, pulling her hair up into a ponytail.
"What do you mean?"
Sam glanced at her. "I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead."
Dean frowned. "He drowned?"
"Yep. In the sink."
"What the hell? So you're right, this isn't a creature. We're dealing with something else."
Riley sat next to Sam.
"Yeah, but what?"
Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Water wraith, maybe? Some kind of demon? I mean, something that controls water...water that comes from the same source."
"The lake." Sam and Riley said at the same time.
Dean snorted at them. "Yeah."
Sam added: "Which would explain why it's upping the body count. The lake is draining. It'll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it's running out of time.
Riley frowned. "And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere."
"This is gonna happen again soon." Dean muttered and Sam sighed.
"And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton."
"Both of his kids are gone. He's the only one left." She said and Sam nodded.
"And I've been asking around. Lucas's dad, Chris—Bill Carlton's godson."
Dean grabbed his keys. "Let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit."
Riley sighed quietly, watching the man as they approached the dock. He was staring out at the lake almost wistfully.
"You okay, Blondie?" Dean asked her and she turned her head. She hadn't realized he had heard her.
She nodded. "Yeah, it's just...Cases like this bother me. Too many deaths."
He nodded. "Yeah, I get that."
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the dock, Sam leading the way.
Mr. Carlton never turned his head to acknowledge them, but Riley knew that the man had heard them.
Sam cleared his throat. "Mr. Carlton?"
The man glanced at them briefly.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."
Dean nodded. "We're from the, the Department-"
Bill cut him off. "I don't care who you're with. I've answered enough questions today."
"Mr. Carlton. I know you don't want to talk to us, but your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there?" Riley asked him but received no response.
"Mr. Carlton, Sophie's drowning and Will's death—we think there might be a connection to you or your family." Sam added.
Bill shook his head. "My children are gone. It's...it's worse than dying. Go away. Please."
"Thank you for your time." Riley said quietly, watching the man look back over the lake with tears in his eyes. Slowly, the trio left for the car.
Riley followed the boys, deep in thought.
What do you think?" Sam asked and Dean sighed.
"Aw, I think the poor guy's been through hell. I also think he's not telling us something."
They reached the car and Sam leaned against it.
"So now what?" Riley asked, coming up next to Dean. She noticed him staring off at the house. "Dean, what is it?" Sam turned to look at him too.
"Huh." Dean tilted his head. "Maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something." He reached through the car window and pulled out the drawing that Lucas had made him. Riley's eyes widened.
"Lucas..."
As Riley had already figured, Andrea was more than skeptical about them speaking to her son again.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea." She said to Dean.
"I just need to talk to him." He told her patiently. "Just for a few minutes."
She frowned. "He won't say anything. What good's it gonna do?"
"Andrea," Sam began. "We think more people might get hurt. We think something's happening out there."
"My husband, the others, they just drowned. That's all." She said stiffly and Riley shook her head.
"If that's what you really believe, then we'll go." She said quietly. "But if you think there's even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let Dean talk to your son."
Andrea hesitated and the nodded slowly. "He's in his bedroom."
She led them up the stairs and they found Lucas sitting in his room, drawing. Toy soldiers were lined up in front of him.
Riley and Sam hung back in the doorway as Dean went and crouched by Lucas.
"Hey, Lucas. You remember me?"
Riley noticed that Lucas had drawn two pictures of the same red bicycle. Dean had too because he glanced at them briefly.
"You know, I, uh, I wanted to thank you for that last drawing. But the thing is, I need your help again."
Lucas continued to draw on his picture. Riley couldn't see much of it, but it looked like a girl with blonde hair, standing in water.
Dean took out the picture of the house and unfolded it, laying it near Lucas and tapping it.
"How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was gonna happen? Maybe you could nod yes or no for me." Lucas ignored him and Andrea shifted next to Sam and Riley.
"You're scared." Dean said quietly. "It's okay. I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too. I didn't feel like talking, just like you." Riley felt Sam shuffle a bit and she put a hand on his arm. He smiled at her grimly. "But see, my mom—I know she wanted me to be brave. I think about that every day. And I do my best to be brave. And maybe, your dad wants you to be brave too."
Like he had said a magic word, Lucas dropped his crayon and looked up at Dean. He handed him a picture from his stack of drawings. It was a church next to a yellow house and a boy with a blue baseball cap and a red bicycle stood in front of a wooden fence.
"Thanks, Lucas." Dean smiled.
Riley leaned up between the seats to look again at the picture.
"There's something about that red bike." She said. "Lucas has drawn it several times."
"Yeah, I saw that too." Dean nodded. "Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died."
Sam nodded. "There are cases—going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies."
"Whatever's out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?" Riley asked, biting her lip.
"I mean, it's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns, so if you got a better lead, please." Dean said to Sam who raised his hands.
"All right, we got another house to find."
Dean sighed. "The only problem is there's about a thousand yellow two-stories in this county alone."
"Well, maybe there's one next to this church." Riley pointed out.
"Right." Sam nodded. "I bet there's less than a thousand of those around here."
"Oh, College Boy thinks he's so smart." His older brother smirked.
"You know, um...What you said about Mom...You never told me that before."
Dean shrugged uncomfortably. "It's no big deal." Sam smiled soflty and then Dean noticed his brother still staring at him. "Oh God, we're not gonna have to hug or anything, are we?"
Riley burst into laughter. Sam just shook his head.
After a bit of searching, they found a little yellow house that was across from a white church. The little house had a fence in front of it like Lucas had drawn.
Mrs. Sweeney, the little old lady who lived in the house, invited them warmly inside.
"We're sorry to bother you, ma'am," Dean began. "But does a little boy live here, by chance? He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle." Dean described and the woman shook her head.
"No sir. Not for a very long time. Peter's been gone for thirty-five years now."
Riley was looking at pictures on a little table and then her eyes drifted over to where little toy soldiers were lined up. She elbowed Sam gently and he noticed them too.
"The police never—I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared." Mrs. Sweeney said, sounding on the verge of tears and Riley handed her a box of Kleenex. "Thank you, dear. Losing him—you know, it's...it's worse than dying."
"I can't imagine." Riley said softly. "Did he disappear from here? I mean, from this house?"
She shook her head. "He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up."
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Sweeney."
The woman nodded.
Dean picked up a picture that he spotted hanging on the mirror. In it were two boys, Peter with his red bike next to another boy. On the back were some words.
He read aloud: "Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, nineteen seventy."
Sam and Riley exchanged looks.
"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Sweeney." Riley told her as they headed for the door.
The little old woman took her arm and Dean turned back around too. Sam stayed in the doorway. "You don't think it will happen. I never did. But it does. So, take the advice of an old woman. Don't let your children out of your sight. Don't think they'll be safe, because no one is. Do you and your husband have any children?" Riley's cheeks reddened and Dean' eyes widened. Sam had to duck outside.
"No..." She said slowly. "And he's not my-"
"Well, when you do," The woman continued. "Love them everyday because you never know when it will be your last."
"Yes, ma'am." Riley said softly.
Sam laughed loudly when the door was shut behind them. Dean rolled his eyes.
"Shut up, Sam." She scowled and he dodged the kick aimed at his knee.
Sam was frowning in concentration as Dean drove the Impala down the road.
"Okay, this little boy Peter Sweeney vanishes, and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow." He muttered.
"Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?" Dean agreed.
Riley propped her chin on her arms. "And all the people that Bill loves are getting punished. So, I'm thinking that Bill did something to Peter."
"What if Bill killed him?" Sam questioned.
"Peter's spirit would be furious. It'd want revenge. It's possible." Dean supposed.
"We better get over there then because Peter will come for Bill if he hasn't already. We can't let him near the water."
He stepped on the gas at her words and Riley frowned worriedly out the window. If he doesn't go for Bill...Andrea and Lucas could be next, she thought internally.
They pulled up to the Carlton house and got out quickly.
"Mr. Carlton?!" Sam called as they approched the house.
An engine started and Riley whipped her head around.
"He's going out on the lake!" She cried and ran for the dock, Dean and Sam not far behind.
Dean sprinted ahead of her when she slowed to keep from getting too close to the edge of the dock. "Mr. Carlton! You need to come back! Come out of the water! Turn the boat around!" He yelled, but the man ignored them.
"Mr. Carlton!" Riley shouted, but again was ignored. She screamed when the water rose up and flipped Bill's boat over. In mere seconds it was gone beneath the murky depths. "Oh, my god!"
Dean and Sam stared out at the spot.
"Well...I guess Peter got what he wanted." Dean said softly.
Sam sighed. "We should inform the police."
Riley frowned, getting a bad feeling as she followed Jake Devins. He was not pleased to see them nor was he happy with their story. She had a feeling he had done his homework about them.
They came around the corner and saw Andrea and Lucas. The boy was pale and kept rocking back and forth in his chair. Andrea looked up at them and smiled.
"Sam, Dean, Riley." She greeted curiously. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Jake frowned. "So now you're on a first-name basis. What are you doing here?" He asked in a softer tone.
"I brought you dinner." She said holding up the paper bag and the plastic container.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't really have the time." Devins apologized.
"I heard about Bill Carlton. Is it true? Is something going on with the lake?" She asked, looking from the trio to Devins.
Jake shook his head. Right now we don't know what the truth is. But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home."
At these words, Lucas makes a grab for Dean's arm, gripping it tightly.
"Lucas, hey, what is it?" Dean asked in concern, seeing the boy's panic. "Lucas."
Andrea came over, puzzled and concerned and took her son's arm. "Lucas."
"Lucas, it's okay. It's okay. Hey, Lucas, it's okay. It's okay." He tried to reassure him, but the boy looked at him and then at Riley, who tilted her head in confusion. Andrea finally got him to let go and started to lead him out the door, but Lucas didn't look away from Dean.
Devins watched them go before walking into his office, the trio followed him. The sheriff tossed his jacket over the chair.
"Okay, just so I'm clear, you see...something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill—who is a very good swimmer, by the way—into the drink, and you never see him again?" He asked aggressively, looking at each of them. Sam and Dean exchanged glances, while Riley frowned at him.
Dean's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, that about sums it up."
The man across from them snorted. "And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake?" He mocked. "And what you're describing is impossible? And you're not really Wildlife Service?"
Sam and Dean looked surprised, but again Riley was frowning.
"That's right, I checked. Department's never heard of you three."
Dean opened his mouth. "See, now, we can explain that."
He raised a hand. "Enough. Please. The only reason you're breathing free air is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So, we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again." He hissed the last bit at them, eyes narrowed and finger pointing.
"Door number two sounds good." Sam said automatically.
"That's the one I'd pick."
The Impala was silent. Dean and Riley were both brooding about the case. Sam just wanted to leave town.
"Green." Sam said suddenly, making Riley jump.
"What?" Dean asked in a daze.
"Light's green."
The Impala turned right. Riley smiled.
"Uh, the interstate's the other way." The younger Winchester stated, confused.
Dean nodded. "I know."
"But Dean, this job, I think it's over."
"No, it's not, Sam." Riley spoke up and he turned to her.
"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest."
Dean frowned. "All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't done? You know, what if we've missed something? What if more people get hurt?
"But why would you think that?"
"Because of Lucas." Riley spoke up. "He's the one who's been seeing all of these things happen...What if the reason he's so scared is because it's not over?"
Sam sighed. "That's what this is about? The kid?"
"I just don't want to leave this town until I know the kid's okay." Dean pointed out.
"Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?"
"Shut up." Dean scowled.
"Well, I think it's sweet." Riley pointed out. "Besides, personally I think that sheriff is being awful shady."
"You just don't like him because he found us out." Sam said and she shook her head.
"No, it's more than that." She muttered and Dean glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
"Might be worth looking into."
Sam just shook his head. "But how do you know?"
"I just do, okay? I say we go check on Lucas."
Dean met her eyes again and smiled.
Sam frowned. "Are you sure about this? It's pretty late, guys."
They stood outside of Andrea's house.
"We just gotta check." Riley yawned and Dean rang the doorbell.
No sooner had he pressed the button, than Lucas slung open the door, panting in fear.
"Lucas?" Dean took his arm. "Lucas!" The boy turned and fled, leading the way up the steps.
Water was flooding out from under the bathroom door and down the steps. Carefully, they followed the little boy, hurrying to get to Andrea. Lucas ran to the door and began pounding on it. Dean took his arm and tugged him out of the way and Riley caught him, keeping him still as he kicked open the door.
As soon as the door was open, they could see Andrea's tub was overflowing but she was nowhere to be seen the darkened murky lake water. Sam ran in and stuck his arms under the water to grab at Andrea, trying to help her get out of the spirits grip. Lucas darted out of Riley's grasp and up to Dean and she grabbed Sam, trying to help him free the woman from the bath.
With their combined tugs, they pulled Andrea free and she started gasping for air and coughing up water. Riley crawled over to the door and pulled a bathrobe off the back hanger, handing it to Sam to give to Andrea.
"Thank you..." The woman whispered, shaking with fright. "Thank you."
"Think you were onto something with Devins." Dean said in her ear, startling her. She had been checking on Lucas.
"Look at this." He handed her a photo album.
"It's Peter in that one...I'm assuming that's Jake next to him?" She asked, pointing at a picture.
"That's my guess too."
He glanced at her again. her eyes were full of sparkle in the morning sunlight, her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She was beautiful.
"So what do we do about Peter?" She asked, turning her head to look at him and he shook his head to clear it.
"I don't know yet. Something is keeping him here. The secret probably. We might have to confront Jake."
"Hooray. He was a bundle of joy."
Dean snickered. "Come on."
They went into the kitchen with Sam and Andrea.
Dean put the album in front of Andrea opening it to a page. He pointed at a particular one. It was a boy scout troop. Explorer Troop 37.
"Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?" He questioned.
Andrea looked confused.
"What? Um, um, no. I mean, except that's my dad right there. He must have been about twelve in these pictures." She pointed him out. Dean nodded.
"Chris Barr's drowning. The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It must have been to the sheriff."
Sam's eyes widened. "Bill and the sheriff—they were both involved with Peter."
Riley looked over at Lucas who had walked silently into the kitchen. He was staring out the window.
Andrea wiped at her face tiredly. "What about Chris? My dad—what are you talking about?"
"Dean." Riley said suddenly and they glanced at her. She was looking at Lucas. Dean followed her gaze.
"Lucas? Lucas, what is it?"
The boy opened the door and walked outside.
They followed him.
"Lucas, honey?" His mom called, but the boy didn't stop until he got to a spot not far from the house. He looked at the ground and then at Dean.
Dean got his meaning. There was something buried there.
"You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?"
Riley turned to the boys. "Rock, paper, scissors on who doesn't dig?"
Sam rolled his eyes and Dean smirked.
"What's the matter? You actually lose to her?"
"Shut up." Sam muttered and went to get the shovels. He didn't even bother to play her.
Riley turned to Dean. "Ready?"
He shook his head. "Sam and I will dig. Don't dirty your hands. She kicked dirt on him, and he smirked. They had to find lighthearted moments when they could on cases. It kept them from being too far into the case and gave them a little reprieve. It helped to not bring it home at the end of the day.
A few minutes later, the boys had dug up a bike.
"Peter's bicycle." Riley murmured before she heard the click of a gun behind her head. Dean and Sam froze.
"Who are you?" Devins demanded, Riley didn't dare turn around.
"Put the gun down, Jake." Sam frowned, watching the man's hand nervously. It was steady, his aim still on Riley. Dean scowled.
"How did you know that was there?" Jake ignored him.
"What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike? You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried."
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago. That's what the hell I'm talking about." He stated, eyes narrowed. Andrea ran up to them and Jake lowered his gun. Riley stood up and backed up, much to Dean's relief.
"Dad!" Andrea cried.
Dean stood his ground. "And now you got one seriously pissed-off spirit." He finished.
Sam nodded. "It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It's gonna drown them. And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does."
Jake snorted. "Yeah, and how do you know that?"
"Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton."
"Listen to yourselves. You're insane."
Riley turned to Sam and mouthed that she was going to check on Lucas. He nodded at her and watched her jog back to the house.
Dean watched her go too before speaking again. "I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us. But if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake."
Andrea turned to her father.
"Dad, is any of this true?"
Riley got close to the house and watched Lucas sprint off from the front steps. Eyes wide, she followed him. He was headed for the dock.
Jake shook his head. "No. Don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous."
"Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me." Andrea demanded and he did. "Tell me you—you didn't kill anyone." He looked away, unable to answer directly. "Oh my God."
He took a shaky breath. "Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time, it got rough. We were holding his head under the water. We didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank."
Andrea was looking at the ground in horror.
"Oh, Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some ghost? It's not rational."
"All right, listen to me, all of you. We need to get you away from this lake, as far as we can, right now." Dean demanded.
"Dean! Sam! It's got him!" Riley screamed from the dock and they looked over to see her trying her best to pull Lucas back onto the dock. "Dean!" She was sliding on the dock.
Andrea gasped and they all ran for the docks.
"Lucas!" Jake yelled.
Riley tugged harder, but Peter was in his element. "Come play with me..." He whispered.
"Riles, hang on!" Dean yelled.
Riley screamed as she tugged headfirst into the water with Lucas. She came up for air, still holding the boy and tried to grab the dock.
Andrea screamed when she saw Lucas and Riley dragged down. Then there was only bubbles.
"Oh, my god!"
Sam and Dean ran to the end of the dock and dove off into the water.
Andrea started to join them, but Sam popped back up.
"Andrea, stay there! We'll get him! Just stay on the dock!" He told her and dove down again.
Dean popped up, looked around. Sam came up too.
"See her?"
"No."
Dean cursed and dove down again.
Andrea turned her head to see her father walking further out into the water.
"Peter, if you can hear me...please, Peter, I'm sorry. I'm so—I'm so sorry."
"Daddy, no!"
"Peter. Lucas—he's, he's just a little boy. Please, it's not his fault, it's mine. Please take me."
Dean came up for air again and spotted the man. "Jake, no!" He yelled, but it was too late.
"Just let it be over." Jake murmured and then he felt Peter grab his foot.
"Daddy! Daddy! No!"
The boys looked at one another and then dove down again.
Sam popped up and looked at Andrea, shaking his head.
Dean came up for air, Lucas in his grip.
Andrea sighed in relief.
"Where is she?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Dunno." Dean handed Lucas to him. "I'm going to look again."
He dove back in.
He finally found her. Her foot had been caught in a mess of tree branches. She hadn't been able to free herself and keep hold of Lucas.
Dean got her free after some difficulty and then hauled ass to the surface. Riley coughed as soon as they broke the surface and Dean held her close.
Their faces were inches apart. Dean could count the water droplets on her eyelashes.
"You okay?" He asked, sounding almost breathless.
She nodded silently and then asked: "Lucas?"
"Sam's got him."
Sam met him at the edge of the dock, helping pull Riley up.
Lucas was leaning against his mother, breathing in gulps of air. Dean pulled himself up. He handed Riley his jacket.
"Here."
Sam arched an eyebrow but kept his opinion to himself.
"Thanks." She said, teeth chattering.
Riley found Dean sitting outside and came to sit next to him.
"Andrea called. She said Lucas is fine. He's starting to talk again."
"Great. That's...That's great." He said, staring off into the darkened parking lot of the motel.
"Look, I'm sorry. I screwed up."
Frowning, Dean turned to her. She was tapping her knee with her fingers. "Huh?"
"Well, that's why you're pissed right? I didn't stop Lucas from going to the dock."
He sighed irritably and ran a hand through his hair. "No, I'm not pissed. You did what you could."
"Then what exactly did I do?" She demanded. "Ever since we came back here, you've been riding my ass and now the silent treatment."
"You almost died!"
"Okay, and? It's part of the job."
"You can't swim and you still went after him."
"Of course I did! Hell, I was scared."
"Well, it scared me too!" He snapped before looking away. Stunned, Riley settled back down next to him. "You...Thought you were dead."
Riley sighed. "Okay, yeah. I get it. well now you know how it feels. Sam and I were worried about you when that Wendigo got you." She held out her pinkie. "We can swear to not dive headfirst into danger, but I don't think that will keep."
He snorted. "Yeah."
"Thanks for diving in after me."
"This is yours." He said absently and handed her a necklace.
"Oh." She frowned taking it from him. "I didn't know I had lost it." She put it back around her neck. "Guess you saw the rings."
"Mmhm."
"The diamond was mine at one time." She admitted.
"You don't have to tell me."
"Actually, I think I do. You got this for me and saved my life." She bumped his shoulder. "Don't get a swelled head."
He smirked at her and she snorted. "Anyway..." She told him about her fiancé. and the events which lead her to working alone. "I wasn't doing too well as you saw." She was finishing up. Dean had leant her his jacket again when she had shivered from the cold. "So, I just decided to look for myself."
He nodded. "I get that. I'm sorry about your fiancé."
She sighed. "Me too."
"It wasn't your fault."
"Tell that to my subconscious."
"Fiancé huh? Jumping into marriage?"
"Let's not dive into that tonight." She muttered and stood up, handing him his jacket back. "I'm heading to bed." She turned and walked back into the motel room.
He stayed outside for a few minutes longer. How did that guy get so lucky to have Riley as his almost wife? What had made him so special?
He shook his head. It didn't matter...It shouldn't. But it did.
"Look, we're not gonna save everybody." Sam pointed out, thinking that was why his brother was so quiet.
"I know." He muttered, tossing a bag into the back seat.
"Hey, Andrea. Lucas." Riley greeted coming out of the motel lobby.
The boys turned to her and Andrea smiled.
"We're glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road."
"That's sweet."
"Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself." She added.
"Can I give it to them now?" The boy asked her and she nodded.
"Of course."
Dean smiled. "Come on, Lucas, let's load this into the car." They went to the car and Sam stepped over to Andrea.
"How you holding up?"
She shrugged. "It's just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?
Riley sighed. "Andrea, I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "You saved my son. I can't ask for more than that. Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that."
They heard: "Zeppelin rules!" from the car and Riley laughed as Lucas high-fived Dean.
They went over to the car. "You take care of your mom, okay?" Dean told him and the boy nodded.
Andrea leaned over and kissed Dean on the lips. She pulled away slowly, smiling at his stunned expression. Riley shook her head.
"Thank you."
Embarrassed, he had no idea how to respond. So instead, he said: "Sam, Riley, move your asses. We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road."
Riley waved to the mother and son before getting into the car.
Lucas waved an they pulled out of the parking lot.
Sam turned from watching the town go by and smirked slightly. Dean was watching Riley every so often in the rearview mirror. The young woman was asleep already. He shook his head and looked back out the window. His brother could deny it all he wanted, but it was apparent that he had some feelings for her. only time would tell if he acted on them.
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